JEE Advanced Paper Analysis: An Interview with Pranav (An IIT Aspirant)

JEE Advanced exam was conducted on 21 May for admission in IITs across India and was conducted for the first time in computer-based mode. The question paper had few surprises but that is not new with JEE Advanced. IIT Aspirant Pranav Sharma who got AIR 11,160 in JEE Main and is now aiming for IIT, had a short conversation with us right after the exam. We had asked him questions about various sections of the exam and also subject wise analysis. The interview is shared here and we hope that the students are able to get some good insights from him. 

Mota Chashma - Please share your overall analysis of JEE Advanced 2018. Which section was the toughest of all?

IIT Aspirant - Overall, I think the paper was moderate in terms of difficulty. This was the first year JEE had the ‘integer’ type questions which were more like subjective, requiring you to get the answer to the last two decimal places. There was no room for approximations and guesswork, which should help the students that have prepared well for the exam.

I found the math section to be comparatively tougher than the other two sections in both paper 1 and paper 2.

Mota Chashma - Can you elaborate the reasons why that particular section was the toughest?

IIT Aspirant - The math section had some lengthy questions, especially some of the ‘multiple correct’ type questions, which had to be left as they were eating up too much time. These questions required the student to solve separately for each subpart of the question. A few of the integer type questions were on the harder side as well.

Mota Chashma - In JEE Advanced 2018, which was the easiest section?

IIT Aspirant - The physics section was by far the easiest section. In the ‘multiple correct’ type questions of paper 1, most of them were solely based on formulas and simple applications. Two of the integer questions, although easy, required a lot of calculation. The comprehensions in the first paper and the match the columns in the second paper were also very easy.

Chemistry was moderate, the numerical questions were straightforward. I found the comprehensions in paper 1 a little challenging, along with a few integer type questions in paper 2.  

Mota Chashma - Distribution of question from Class 11 and Class 12 syllabus, what was the proportion?

IIT Aspirant - Chemistry and Math had the majority of questions from the Class 12 syllabus. Physics had a fair mix of both classes, with good applications of the Class 11 syllabus.

Mota Chashma - Was there any glitch in JEE Advanced 2018? Did any student complain regarding any wrong question or answer?

IIT Aspirant - No, I didn’t experience any discrepancy while giving the test, the invigilators ensured that everything ran smoothly. I haven’t heard from many students, but I think there was a wrong question in the ‘integer type’ questions of math in paper 2.

Mota Chashma - Out of 23 IITs, which institute would you prefer for your undergraduate studies?

IIT Aspirant- I would prefer to get a seat in IIT Bombay for electrical/ aeronautical engineering.

Mota Chashma - Can you share with us how you simultaneously prepared for Boards and other All India test?

IIT Aspirant- NCERT is the base for everything that comes in JEE. So, thoroughly reading NCERT (especially for chemistry) was very helpful for both boards and other JEE level examinations. The proper and regular practice of math from coaching material or any book having good questions is all the preparation that is required for math, I feel, as math in NCERT is not too challenging and doesn’t give enough exposure to the type of questions that can come in JEE.

I was studying only for JEE till about 5-6 days before the first exam Board examination. In these 5-6 days, I did the other two subjects (English and Informatics Practices for me).

Mota Chashma - Why did you opt Engineering as a career?

IIT Aspirant- I have always been interested in Physics and Maths, the innovation part of Engineering. I like accepting new challenges which test your thinking ability and that was when I figured out that Engineering was the career path for me.

Mota Chashma - Did you find any helpful materials in social media groups (e.g. Facebook) that helped you in preparation and regarding other notifications?

IIT Aspirant- I was active on social media in the 11th grade but cut that down only to WhatsApp for Class 12 to avoid distractions. We had a class group with teachers of our coaching institute where students asked doubts and teachers shared short notes for chapters along with revision material. This helped in the preparation.

Mota Chashma - What are the hobbies that help you to relieve your stress?

IIT Aspirant- Studying all day left me tired mentally, so I charged back up with some physical exercise in the evening. Music worked well for me, it gave me the motivation to do better by keeping me in the mood to study. Other than that, I would go for walks to refresh myself.

Mota Chashma - Did you take any coaching classes? And how much do you think these coaching classes help you in preparation?

IIT Aspirant- Yes, I attended classes at Bakliwal Tutorials. I don’t think I would have gotten this far without these classes. The teachers ensured that my doubts were cleared. Whenever I felt that studying was becoming a burden, I would talk to one of the teachers that taught our class. They gave me the motivation to keep going, along with tips and tricks to better.

Pranav has secured a rank of Approx. 1700 in VITEEE and 552 in Manipal Entrance Exam. Team MotaChashma wishes him good luck for JEE Advanced Result.

• JEE advanced analysis would also be released by various coaching like Aakash, Allen Kota, Motion IIT, Resonance etc.